The life of the Hindu is one perpetual ceremony from the time of birth to the day when he is burnt by the side of the Holy Ganges.
Lord William and I agreed that their religion must be a most absorbing and real thing in their lives, otherwise the perpetual observance, and ritual, from morn to eve would become most irksome, yet some of it appeals to us as rather beautiful. The first thing in the morning on awaking the Hindu turns to the East and prays to his Sun-god, then to the river to cleanse himself and perform his ablutions, asking his god to keep him from all temptation, all sin in taste, touch, word, thought or deed. From the river to the barber to be shaved, a most important part of the curriculum, for only a tiny tuft of hair is allowed to any Hindu, and even that must be hidden by his head-dress.
The different caste marks of the natives worn on the forehead are distinctly interesting, and once when we were boasting how much we knew about all these things, I asked Lord William if he could tell them straight off from memory. He bet me a sovereign he could. I felt I might easily lose my sovereign, so beat him down to five shillings, which I told him was as much as I could afford to lose. I could see from the merry twinkle in his eye he thought he had me on toast, so just as he was beginning I said: “If we are not agreed what is going to happen, who shall be the judge?” In a moment he named a mutual friend we were likely to meet at Hurlingham on the following Saturday. This being settled, he asked: “Where shall I begin?”
Author: “With the Hindus.”
Lord William: “A triangle encircling a dot.”
Author: “Right.”
Lord William: “The Brahmans, one single spot on the middle of the forehead.”
Author: “Right.”
Lord William: “Shiva, a triangle, crescent, a dot and two curved lines” (he hesitated a moment, continuing) “and a U-shaped mark with a dot in the middle.”